As per twitter requests, I am writing this blog post to show you my new hair!! I got it cut at J Moriyama Hair Design near Bond Street (78 Maryleone Lane, W1U 2PT). My stylist was called Seiko ^^ And I just asked for layers all the way round with razored ends. She cut my fringe a little too :)
Without further ado, here is the before picture!
And this is the after!!
So, what's the verdict guys?? Do we like?? She did actually curl the ends of my hair slightly when she blow-dried it which I really like! Its easily to maintain and it has a little more shape now!!
A few pics from last night's Aussie Pamper Evening!
Then Melissa and I took my cousin (Yie Sheen) back to the tube so she could get home and we went out for sushi!!
How cute is Mel's jumper which she wore today??
I shall be uploading the video Mel and I made last night soon, so please look out for it!!!
Last night on Twitter I was yet again, complaining about my skin. I am fed up of constant blemishes and never feeling confident in my skin without slathering foundation and concealer over my face. I was determined to sort it and so I went out to Kingston today with a friend to do a bit of shopping, have lunch and see if there's anyway I can sort this out!!!
We had lunch first, because we (Cat and I) were both really hungry. We ate at a little diner place called Frank B's Diner. It was really cute! Both of us ordered ribs, but I had mine with fries, coleslaw and a vanilla ice cream shake whereas Cat just had hers with chips and Dr. Pepper.
Then we headed off to the make-up counters in the local department store (Bentalls) where we stopped by Clinique to check out the skin care. I have been told by many that Clinique can often be really harsh but I've also heard that its worked wonders for other people. I thought I'd have a 10 minute consultation and try the 3 step system to see if it would work for me. Clinique has always been something I was unsure about but if the system doesn't work for me, then I all I've lost is a few weeks and £30.
I was given the anti-blemish solutions 3-step system containing a 50ml cleansing foam, 100ml clarifying lotion and 30ml clearing moisturizer. This is supposed to last me 6-7 weeks, with a twice daily use.
Three simple steps that effectively work together to treat blemishes and help prevent future breakouts. Start seeing visible results within days. After blemishes clear, continue using for prevention care. Skin stays soft, smooth and clear with continuous use. Just 3 products, 3 minutes, twice a day.
Step 1: Cleansing Foam Mild cleansing foam helps clear and prevent blemishes. Removes dirt and excess oil. Unclogs pores. Step2: Clarifying Lotion Gentle exfoliating formula exfoliates to clear dead surface cells and reduces excess oil that can lead to breakouts. Unclog pores. Step 3: Clearing Moisturizer (Oil-free) Powerful blemish fighting ingredients help treat existing blemishes and prevent future breakouts. Lightweight formula creates an invisible, breathable barrier against blemish-causing agents.
I have made an appointment to go back in two weeks time to check my progress with the system and to see if it has improved my skin. Oh just one other thing, the consultant told me I have to use cotton balls with the Clarifying Lotion because cotton pads are too rough for the skin, so I had to pick up some of those too.
I also went to New Look and bought two belts and a cardigan which is very slouchy ^^
Also, I got some cute black boot slippers from Primark!!
Just a little FOTD/LOTD ^^ I've named it "Da Honey Force" because I used Soft Force, Honey Lust and Da Bling eyeshadows from MAC :D
Who else is on Project Good Skin and how have you found the Clinique 3-step system??
Oh how I had completely forgotten about Sunday Times this week!! :O How could I? Well, I moved back to uni over the weekend. It's been a bit crazy and hectic!
Things are alright, but I'm not feeling so great today and so my room is still packed and I have to unpack everything and get it all ready for my final year here... I've been in bed most of the time actually because my room is absolutely freezing!!!!! I swear there's like 3 draughts here and the heater vent thing doesn't work!! Oh noes! Gonna have to get a small electric heater thingy...
So onto fun news, I bit all my nails of last night. I couldn't sleep properly and I think I was all nervous or something. Worried maybe... but anyway, the nails are super short now. I tried to salvage a little and filed them, but some just weren't salvagable (is that even a word??) so I clipped them all off. My hands definately look like kiddie hands now XD I've applied NYC in a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish with Minerals in 248B Manhattan which is my new favourite autumn/winter colour!! The plumy red untones gives it a warmth but its still dark enough to stay sultry and great for the colder seasons! I would describe it as a black cherry colour, and I would take a picture, but I made a mess painting my nails (think it may be the brush, or maybe my fingers are numb from the cold or something) and my camera is somewhere far away (which means, I'd have to get out of bed to search for it and get it) but its just way too cold right now!! Really not looking forward to the cold days :(
In regards to skin, I really haven't been taking any Chlorella... I tried to, but I just forget or think I'll take them later and then just don't. So things aren't happening with that. But I am going to start taking them constantly sometime this week. I shall put a daily alarm in my phone or something to remind me!
Anyway, just a little something about skincare, I've started to use the Freederm Facial Cleanser. If you haven't heard about Freederm, its a brand which manufactures a range of products specifically to target "spot-prone skin". I really like the way they used spot-prone, not acne-prone, because some people are senstive about this problem and don't like to use products for acne, even though they mean the same thing. I used to be like that, but I'm over it now :) So this facial cleanser isn't something new in my life. I had used it before for a little while and I believe it helped my skin out. And when I finished off my first bottle, I did purchase another one (the one I'm currently using). It's packaged in an opaque white plastic bottle with an opaque white plastic pump. I love the pump! It's great for dispensing just the right amount of product and there's no contamination to the unused cleanser inside. Hwowever, because you can't see through the bottle, you don't know when you're coming to the end and need to purchase another bottle, so after my first one I moved onto another cleanser instead. I believe that not quite sticking to the same product religously may have stopped any progress my skin had made, but I found this new unopened bottle the other week and decided I should start using it again.
So the cleanser itself is a daily white cream cleanser which you gently massage into dry skin using your fingertips. You can either wipe it off using cotton wool or rinse it off with warm water. I have been using this every morning, when I don't want to use water on my face and just wipe it off with a cotton pad. It has been "formulated by experts", has an "advanced pore cleansing action to combat blackheads" and is antibacterial and suitable for all skin types. The cleanser is actually very moisturising. The number one ingredient in aqua (aka water) which is great because it uses gentle cleansers to help rid the skin of spots. I really enjoy using it and think I'm hoing to target my skin by using this constantly. I normally just apply a moisturiser on top.
So in make-up news, I haven't really got a lot to say. I brought most of my make-up with me, the stuff that I use often and a few little extra special things too. Nothing major to update you on here so I shall just move on and not bore you.
Moving back to uni means I get to use all my premium products again!!!! Hehe this makes me happy ^____________^ Premium products are those that you find a little bit more expensive but very worth it and ones that you wait to use because you have so much other crappy products you want to use up first. So leaving all the crappy products back at home so I can use them up during holidays and those weekends I go back to Guildford, I have my Herbal Essences Dazzling Shine Shampoo & Conditioner!! And I'm still in love with it! The scent still could be better but I'm happy as its working for me! So I used those today to make myself feel better with a nice long hot shower! It was AWESOME!!!! Also, I brought my Chi Silk Infusion and my hair feels great!
Be sure to check my YouTube channel for the latest videos here!!!
(Sorry its another super long one. Once again, you can skip the reading and check out the pictures instead!)
There's a little thing about my dad that I find slightly uncommon. He invests in the stock market via ISA and has recently made me invest some too (and I have made some monies from it!). But that's not the uncommon thing...
My father loves to watch those shopping channels. Not just any shopping channels, jewellery shopping channels. And of course, mother and I approve of this greatly ^___^
So not only does he like to watch the glamourous female presenters sparkle from the gorgeous jewellery, he also likes to make a purchase every now and again, which he justifies by gaining money from his shares.
Today, father brought home two lovely Ceylon sapphire pieces. We were both pleasantly surprised (both items for mother but I love to look) when the two little boxes were presented to us.
The first is an 18K AAA Ceylon Sapphire & Diamond White Gold Ring with a total gem weight of 1.32 carats. A beautiful piece chosen by my mother specifically and its really nice!!! XD
The second is a 9K AAA Ceylon Sapphire & Diamond White Gold Pendant with a total gem weight of 2.31 carats. I like the way the diamonds in the centre make a heart shape ^^
Had a lot of fun being a photographer and making my mother pose wearing the ring for me XD She was being all funny about it and had to be particular about everything :P She wants me to help her upload them onto Facebook!!!! Haha!!
I love this one!!! We were laughing so hard because she over acts poses so I was trying to make her do a "gosh" pose but she just looked so surprised XD My camera did some pretty good work with this too, since I couldn't control my arms and body from the laughter :P
When I turned 20 (wow. At first, I wrote 19 there... I'm not as young as I thought I was!), father actually purchased a ring for me. It has 6 colour changing garnets (which mostly always look ambre ~ they only change with different lighting) on it and its way too big for me (we'll soon get it resized) and a diamond in the centre. It's not something I would've picked if I had seen it but I love it and even more especially because father chose it for me.
On a completely unrelated note, I was obsessing over how to make a baked alaska pudding (which I still want to make btw!) but having almost none of the ingredients and not a lot of time, I chose to make some simple meringues instead. I spent ages whipping and whisking the two measly egg whites with around 100g of sugar... only to give up hope after about 20 minutes of arm ache (weakling, I know!) and pull out the electric hand whisk. Which got me to soft peaks in just 2 minutes!!
Currently, my 8 home made meringues are baking in the oven on the lowest possible temperature. The have about 35 mins left of baking (out of 2 and a half hours) and of course when they come out, I shall take pics and post them here...
Sorry that this post was a little unreleted to beauty XD But I thought it'd be a fun thing to share!! I filmed a Graphic Garden look today and that will get uploaded sometime soon. I have two other videos which I made on Monday (a neutral look with a slight twist and a simple French manicure tutorial) to upload sometime aswell. I'm trying to make as many videos as possible before I have to delve into uni work :( I will upload them slowly, with a condition that the latest video has received at least 1,000 views ^^ So keep a look out!!
Also, because most of my Starlings on youtube don't know about my personal channel, I have a very short video which I filmed at the Maybelline event. I forgot to put it into my main event video so I shall put it here and hope it gets some more views :D
Oh my gosh!!!! Something excitable just happened!! Mother was trying to find her mobile (in dad's bag) because she wanted to call my brother and its cheaper using the mobile then the house phone. And she shouted up to me, "Oh! There's another jewellery in here!" So I was a little confused and thought maybe it was a watch or something (I was in a towel after just getting out of the shower XD)and waited for her next outburst... "It's a necklace!" Father came out of the study (or as we call it, the computer room) and not knowing that I had already heard, he said "It's for Ling Ling. Don't tell her." But mother failed. And sighed with disappointment. Much like those whiney kids (like I was) when they go "oooooooooooooohhh" with the sad face :( and pouty lips. Anyway, this is the necklace!!
Yes, those are real diamonds and some form of gold. Father and I were both watching the auction together and so I had no idea he bought it! He did it online (he keeps his laptop in the living room, although he really doesn't need it as he never travels) and I remember they had brought out so many auctions of this item as it was really popular! Not sure when he was planning to give it to me, but I've put it back and after this post it shall go out of my mind, so I can be suprised again!!
On a final note, my favourite gemstone has to be amethyst because I love anything purply ;) However, sapphires are pretty awesome and for those who have said they want to marry me, take note that sapphire and diamond ring is perfect for an engagement ring! (If you can't get hold of sapphires, blue diamonds will suffice :P)My birthstone is emerald, but I don't really like green...
What's your favourite gemstone? Ooh and what do you think of the new layout and fonts etc??
When I received my hair straighteners from the first Aussie event, I of course read the manual. That's the kinda person I am! I love technology but I know that not breaking anything electrical comes with the knowledge of how to use it. Especially with things like hair heat tools! (Don't want to catch my hair on fire XD)
In the manual they give you a few ways to use the straightener. Straightening (obviously) but also with permenant straightening, ~ possibly with the use of chemicals, I skimmed over this bit as my hair is naturally straight ~ "Giving life to ends" (which is basically flicks in or out), volume styling and big curls.
I've always wanted to feel the greatness of the big hair and how everyone loves volume. My hair is thick (as in the strands of hair are thick, not that I have a lot of hair) and so volume has never really been a big thing for me. I'm often finding myself using products to help almost flatten my hair.
There are many ways to volumise one's hair and often backcombing is a choice made by many, but this is very damaging to the hair and I wouldn't want to sit there pulling at my hair. Also, for my hair to hold backcombed volume, I have to use at least half a bottle of hairspray!!! Not so good for the purse!
Anyway, I was intriged by the method they explained in the manual and I just never had much time to sit and try this out until today. And here are the results!!
I emulsified some Sebastian Crude Clay onto my palms and fingers and then ran it through my hair to help hold the styling but I don't think I really needed it!
I have to say it does look a little scraggy down, but almost like a tousseled bedhead hair look. Its something I'd not care to much about for day-to-day but not for a night out.
It almost resembles soft surfer waves aka beach hair!!
However, I put it up whilst I was tidying/cleaning/packing for uni and I really liked the look! I decided to fix it a little and it came out like this!!
I twisted the hair from a low pony tail (untied) and used four hair grips to hold it in place. One thing I'm not too keen on is being able to see the grips in my hair.
Definately something I'd wear with pride but maybe it would need a lot more hold for any vigorous activity!
And for some reason, I really like pictures where the person is looking down... XD
I'm Toffee akamoonbeamstarlight. Hope you'll stick around and enjoy reading my rambles about make-up, beauty, my random fashion style and general life!
